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Hike D - Around Santa Ines
You can begin this hike from the main car park (photo 1) in Santa Agnes (Santa Ines), close to the northern coast of the island. From there you head to your left (west) and follow the tarmac road along the edge of the valley, which is carpeted with almond trees and a sight to behold in February when they are all in full bloom.
We follow this road for about a kilometer when after a short incline the road goes downhill past a beautiful old finca on the left within a field of lavender (photo 2).
Shortly after this we come across an open area decorated with boulders, which serves as a car park for the Restaurant Can Jordi (photo 3) (photo 4) and the view known as 'las puertas del cielo'.
This means the 'doorway to heaven' and the view from the cliff top over Ses Margalides, the island before you with a hole through the middle which boats often pass through, is as inspirational as the drop from the top would be life threatening...
Our path leads downhill from the right hand corner of this plateau (photo 5) almost straight towards Ses Margalides for about 500 metres, before a sharp left turn (photo 6) takes you towards the cliffs to your left.
This path hugs the cliffside (photo 7) and here and there rock falls from the cliffs above have partially blocked the path (December 2007), but these are easily bypassed.
The ancient path leads you on towards and over a promontory with beautiful views of cliffs above and sea below. (photo 8) (photo 9). At points the route becomes less obvious as it follows the rockface around the cliff, but it is easy to negotiate (photo 10) (photo 11) (photo 12). The view back from the tip of the promontory (photo 13) offers a view of the tunnel through Ses Margalides, before you round the corner and find a new stretch of coastline before you with the lighthouse of Sa Conillera island in the distance.
The path continues onwards and gently downwards (photo 14) until eventually you reach an old abandoned finca with a bread oven (photo 15). We cross the terrace to the left of the finca (photo 16) and (photo 17) follow the woodland path past ancient terraced fields along the coast.
Soon we arrive at a thicket of bamboo (photo 18) (photo 19), which looks impenetrable, but isn't (photo 20). We cross a tiny stream with a tiny natural washbasin in the rocks alongside the path and pass an old bolsa (water storage tank) below us to our right (photo 21).
We are about 2.5 km from the beginning of our descent along the cliffside (photo 22) when we reach a junction where several paths cross (photo 23). Here we turn to the left and head uphill (photo 24) following occasional blue arrows (photo 25) (photo 26) until we reach an ancient lime kiln (photo 27).
At the lime kiln we follow the path left and continue upwards (photo 28) and over the hill for another 1.5 km till we join the road. A tree has recently fallen across the path, but this proves to be no obstacle (photo 29).
From the top of the hill you have views back across the valley of Santa Agnes (photo 30) (photo 31) as the path meanders through the forest back down to the road encircling the valley (photo 32).
Just before you reach the plateau from which we first descended you will notice a fenced area through the trees to your left (photo 33). These are the ruins of an ancient Moorish finca that was 'abandoned' almost 800 years ago during the Christian re-conquest of the island (photo 34,35,36). It's easy to see why they chose this spot! .
From the nearby Restaurant Can Jordi you follow the main road back to Santa Agnes enjoying the views across the valley (photo 37,38). until you reach the car park.
If you choose to carry on a few more yards you will reach the Can Cosmi restaurant that has a sunny outside terrace on a winter afternoon and, reputedly, sells the best tortilla to be found on the islands... (photo 39,40).
